HELP!!! How to feed Ultra Bee Dry Feed (pollen substitute)

[delber]

are patties good in the winter? When they cluster will they still be able to use it? I've read of people that have had their patties turn rock hard. Why is this and how can it be avoided?

[Live Oak]

Thanks Live Oak. Yeah, I get everything through Mann Lake. That free shipping over $100 is a huge savings, not to mention they pretty well always have the lowest prices. (an outsider reading this might think they're in a commercial...)

Good to hear it stores well. Unfortunately I'm a loaner and still have not signed up with the local clubs, despite having at least two at my disposal in Houston. I don't think I would ever go to the meetings, so I just saved my $20. I can certainly understand the benefits of buying in bulk, but I don't have the space for 1500 lbs. I got the 50lb bag in my cart, now I just have to get it rounded up to $100. Man, that feeder is steep! What makes it so pricey? It's just moulded plastic from what I can tell. I think I'll just set up a vacant hive box and place a pan inside of that. I don't intend to set out much at first, and will hone in on putting out only as much fresh each time as i think the bees can take.

Some folks like to sprinkle on top of the telescoping cover and the bees will find it and consume it. That works as long as you put just enough for them to consume in a short period. The problem with doing this is that the dry feed can attract mold. Not what you want inside your hive. Chicken feeders will work too but be sure to bring them in at night.

You might try the Ultra Bee food patties. I tried them for the first time this year and my bees actually ate them and showed signs that they actually were attracted to them and liked them. The trick is to if possible place the food patties as close to the over wintering ball of bees as possible. This may mean placing some of the patties in between the frames.

Yeah, I thought the price of the Pro-Feeders was beeyard robbery too. I currently have about 20 hives in various locations, some very remote. Racoons, skunks, and opposums would get into the dry feed with other feeders and it would get damp or wet from setting out at night so I gave these a try. They do work very well and the design was apparently well thought out for being bee friendly.

[Ben Brewcat]

are patties good in the winter? When they cluster will they still be able to use it? I've read of people that have had their patties turn rock hard. Why is this and how can it be avoided?

Well, if they're clustered and can't get to a patty on the top bars, they sure aren't getting to an open feeder. If they're tightly clustered the only way to get pollen to them anyways is to break the cluster and insert a frame of pollen stores anyways, and I'm very reluctant to bust up a cluster. Yes patties will dry out; I add a little vegetable oil to my mix as well as keeping them sandwiched in wax paper (when I make them up, I make the patties in squares of wax paper for the freezer. Then the wax paper help keep the patty moistened until the girls eat it). The bees chew right through it.